Green Set For Quality Season

September 01, 2002|By WARNER HESSLER Daily Press

Of all the new receivers brought in by coach Steve Spurrier this offseason, and the list includes ex-Gator Chris Doering, none has as much potential to make the passing game a success as former Florida star Jacquez Green.

He may not catch more than 50 passes this season and, off that number, he certainly won't be going to the Pro Bowl. But Green's role may produce more quality than quantity. In other words, his 50 catches could be worth more than 1,000 yards.

Rod Gardner is a big receiver who is at his best running post and sideline routes, getting inside defensive backs and using his size to shield defenders from the ball. Kevin Lockett is a darter with the quickness to work the seams of zone defenses.

Green will certainly get his share of the short-to-intermediate routes. But he has the speed and the hands to be the deep threat for a coach who likes to throw at least five or six long passes each game, if for no reason other than to offer the threat and loosen the defenses.

"In Coach Spurrier's system, everybody gets a chance to get the ball," Green said. "He will use a lot of three- and four-wide receiver sets, he will use a lot of movement at the line, and he will throw deep a lot more. You can't expect a defense to respect you if you're never trying to go deep.''

Green was never used as a possession receiver at Florida.

He caught just 113 balls in his career, but averaged nearly 20 yards a catch. In his 1998 rookie season with Tampa Bay, the year before the Bucs went to a conservative, run-oriented attack, Green averaged 17.4 yards per catch.

Green is reunited with a coach who likes to spread the ball among four receivers. It's unlikely any of the Redskins' receivers will come close to 100 catches as the quarterback looks for open areas of the field rather than locking in on a primary receiver.

In Spurrier's share-the-wealth system, Green will line up in the slot on occasion, and he will take his turn going in motion. But his strength will be lining up on the weak side, running deep routes and trying to go between or around the safeties.

He may not rank with the league leaders in receptions when the season ends, but that won't make him any less valuable. What he does best is what Spurrier likes to do.